Ironically, the accident happened during National Public Safety Telecommunicator Appreciation Week, set aside to acknowledge dispatchers for the work they do. It was no more apparent than what Spooner faced as a single dispatcher when all the calls came in.

Every day, dispatchers "come in, plug in and the phones start ringing," said Sheri Marshall, dispatch supervisor for Chico police.

Dispatchers play a critical role in helping law enforcement agencies preserve public safety, Butte County Undersheriff Kory Honea said.

They're often times the first contact the public has with the department, he said. And it's critical the contact starts correctly.

It's more than answering phones

Their title may say public safety dispatcher, but to the men and woman in the profession, it is more than that.

A seasoned dispatcher has the ability to remain calm even when talking to frantic people.

Spooner got all the emergency vehicles rolling — ambulances, the fire departments, law enforcement agencies, support crews and helicopters — after the fiery crash that killed 10 people, according to Glenn County Sheriff Larry Jones. People were calling in non-stop and she handled and sorted it all until assistance arrived.

Spooner is the most veteran dispatcher at Glenn County, and luckily she was there on April 10, Jones said. She did an incredible job and was a "rock in there."

"I would not have wanted to face that alone in there," he said.

Not just answering the phone

Dispatchers have to be smart, witty and resilient to handle the variety of calls that come through, Marshall said. They must have the ability to take control of a situation, understand what the caller is saying and get them to calm down.

Dispatchers are there to help diffuse a situation, said Butte County public safety dispatcher Trina Wehle.

Gathering information from a call and being able to present officers with a clear picture is an essential part of a telecommunicator's duty.

Dispatchers may only be on the phone, but "we see through our ears" to formulate that complete picture, Marshall said.

Several times, collecting that information and understanding what is happening during an incident has lead to the arrests of suspects.

Butte County dispatchers play a role in solving crimes, Honea said. They are able to ask good questions to provide vital information to officers.

Marshall was once able to help officers arrest a man who had just raped a woman. A call to 9-1-1 had come in soon after a rape was reported, but the caller remained silent and hung up.

Marshall was able to tell the caller was near the scene of the assault and sent officers to the area. Upon their arrival they found a man that matched the description and detained him.

"We don't just answer phones," she said. "People don't understand the complexity of what we do."

Keeping officers safe

Officer safety is a top priority for all public safety dispatchers, and sometimes it's the incidents involving the men and women in the field that remain engraved in their memories.

"Without them there is no us," Jones said.

It's not just about answering phones, but coordinating what officers are doing out in the field, Wehle said.

One incident that still haunts her is the night in May 1997 when she sent deputy sheriff Randal Jennings, 38 at the time, to respond to a routine call at a residence in Oroville. A man at the residence ended up fatally shooting Jennings.

Often, dispatchers are described as the unseen partner of officers riding alone in their cruisers, Jones said.

"They become that person's partner, and in life and death situations that's the only person that is going to help," he said.

Dispatchers need to monitor police traffic at all times, Marshall said. Officers will make plans and dispatch has to eavesdrop and pay attention to what officers are doing and where they're at.

It's always about formulating a plan based on who is going where, and if something happens who is going to be backup.

"It's like a chess game sometimes," she said.

The stress of the job

At the Chico Police Department, there's a 75 percent washout rate, but that's similar to the industry standard.

Seasoned dispatchers make the job seem easy, so new people come in and think they can do it, but it doesn't work out.

Working in law enforcement poses significant threats to officers and it takes a toll on them, but it's also difficult for dispatchers, Honea said. Dispatchers deal with calls from people screaming for help or planning to kill themself.

"As soon as the call is over, the next phone rings and they need to be able to answer it," he said.

It's easy to lose compassion for many things after doing it for so many years, Wehle said, but dispatchers still care.